Of Rocks and Wet Grass
by MikeyB89
Summary: He needs some light, she need some stability, they both needed healing. This Dean and Luna's story. Set at Shell Cottage and will probably carry on till after the Battle of Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone I haven't posted any work here for a very long time, mostly due to not feeling I had anything very interesting to say. However tonight I was struck with a moment of inspiration and decided to write this tale. I have always been interested in writing stories that fall in the gaps left by the real Harry Potter books and this is, I guess you could say the missing story of Dean and Luna. I hope you enjoy it and that I'm not too rusty.

Chapter 1

Rocks had a strong and comforting feel, Luna Lovegood decided as her bare feet landed on the next large boulder on her way down to the beach. At once smooth and yet with many small cracks and bumps and veins for toes to wriggle into, for soft skin to mould to. They were so strong beneath you, nothing gave way, one knew where one stood with a rock by the sea, especially on a sunny May day when the midday heat has warmed the smooth surface, making it almost feel like a living creature beneath her. How unlike the last five months of her life. The dungeon at Malfoy manner was cold, and dead and life had been devoid of a firm foundation. Luna shivered, and not from cold. She shook herself, no use thinking about the past, its already been discovered, better to try and find the future. She jumped down to the next rock and then straightened up and saw Dean Thomas sitting on a lone rock near the shoreline, sketching, as he often did. She smiled. She had been trying to figure out Dean Thomas since they had both arrived at Shell Cottage. He had never been a close friend at Hogwarts, she had always thought that he had believed her to be something of an oddity. But over the last week they had been spending more and more time with each other. She had been trying to piece him together, what it was about him that she liked, what he felt like. And now she thought that maybe Dean Thomas was like a rock in the sun by the beach. Big and strong, comforting and easy going yet with facets and little complications, hidden pains from a year on the run. And warmth, a great warmth, especially in his hazelnut eyes. Yes, she decided, extremely pleased with her discovery, Dean Thomas is like a rock.

* * *

><p>Dean let out a deep sigh as he sat looking out over the calm waters of the sea that surrounded their haven at Shell Cottage. There was not a wave to be seen and in the bright morning sun the water looked almost like a vast sheet of glass or crystal. He took out his favourite drawing pencil; god knows how he'd managed to keep hold of it throughout that crazy, horrible year on the run. It was enchanted so that it never ran out and never got blunt, a Christmas present from Seamus two years previous, something worth keeping close. Fleur had lent him a sketchpad of her own for him to use, it seemed odd to hold, something that had just five months earlier been the most natural thing to him now seemed alien. It belonged to a previous life, with Seamus and Hogwarts, before Snatchers, cold nights under stars, and torture. He started to sketch, thinking how out of place this moment was, a moment of utter peace when it seemed the whole world had turned upside down. Shell Cottage had become a bubble, an eye in the storm, it was great but he knew it could not last and that someday soon he would need to re-enter the pain and misery of the world outside.<p>

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of bright, golden yellow reflected in the sun. It was Luna Lovegood clambering down the rocks to the beach upon which he was seated. She seemed to be carrying some kind of long net. Dean smiled to himself, he loved how Luna was always searching for crazy unheard of magical creatures and phenomena, how Luna still seemed to have a wide eyed wonder about the world that most people seemed to lose by that age. It reminded Dean of how he'd been when, at the age of eleven, the wizarding world with all of its eccentricities and wonders had been opened up to him. He'd even joined her a few times but after a few hours they had failed to locate any Wrackspurts or Flibbins, Luna had been undaunted however explaining that actually this was the wrong time of year really for Flibbins and as for Wrackspurts, well they were supposed to be hard to find. If Dean was honest he didn't really believe that either really existed but he was willing to give Luna the benefit of the doubt. After all at the age of ten he would have laughed at the idea of being a wizard so who was he to say there weren't Crumple Horned Snorcacks out there somewhere. He turned his attention back to his drawing, he was quite happy with it, although he did think it was maybe missing something.

"You look very handsome sitting there on that rock" came Luna's voice from behind him.

Dean was slightly taken aback by this and was about to reply when Luna said

"You don't have to say you think I look beautiful, you'd only be saying it because of what I said. You wouldn't mean it, but it's nice that you were going to." Dean still wasn't quite used to her unusually forward way of talking. She gave Dean a friendly smile.

"I'm going fishing for Fresh Water Plimpies, want to join me?"

"I'm okay thanks, I'm halfway through a drawing…don't wanna lose my inspiration you know," he replied trying not to make it sound like he was refusing due to his considerable doubt that they would find Fresh Water Plimpies in the sea.

"Have fun, it looks good by the way, although I think your missing a focal point" Luna said with a smile before turning and walking into the water, the pale yellow dress she had borrowed from Fleur billowing out in the water. Dean returned his attention to his drawing.

"I think I just saw some!"

Dean looked up… he looked up and…there she was, only different, like he had never seen her before in his life… there she was. The sunlight bounced off her long golden yellow hair like it was glowing and made her pale yellow dress look like it was melting into the glassy water. Her white as paper skin shone as she looked back at him with a smile, raising her arms in triumph, she looked like a goddess walking out of the sea.

"Wow…" Dean said to himself, he'd found his focal point. Dragging his gaze away from Luna and began to draw.

Later that day he locked himself in the room he'd been sharing with Harry and Ron, cracked out some paints he'd found downstairs and set about committing to paper the vision he had encountered earlier that day. For two whole days he shut himself away, it was stuck in his head, dominating his mind, he needed to get it out, to see it again. Only at meal times did he venture out to interact with everyone else.

* * *

><p>Wet grass had a mysterious feel, Luna decided as she stood next to Shell Cottage in the early morning sun. Luna loved the feel of wet grass between her toes, especially in the morning dew, she loved how it felt liked she was almost plugged into the ground, into nature. She curled her toes in the grass delighting in the cool feel of the water running between them. So slippery they were, no sooner would she grip one between two toes then it would slip away. She broke her ponderings on the peculiar feel of wet grass and looked towards the cottage, her home for the past week and a half, she cast her gaze up to the window of the room the boys had been staying in, its curtains were drawn, Dean had barely left it in the last three days. Shell Cottage was like a bubble, it was so safe and beautiful but at the same time a little stifling. Which, Luna decided was probably the reason why Dean had been avoiding her. She'd thought that maybe, just maybe Dean could have been someone to add to her friend list, the people who'd never steal and hide her stuff, she'd even thought of the perfect bit of ceiling on which to paint his face. She didn't understand why now he had suddenly removed himself from contact with her. It was like there budding friendship had just slipped away, it made her sad, a sadness that no amount of squelchy grass could distract her from. Maybe Dean wasn't like a rock, maybe he was more like wet grass.<p>

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the long wait between chapters folks. Been a lot busier than I was expecting to be. Also I'm finding with this story that I'm really having to wait for inspiration to hit.

Chapter 2- The Focal Point

A dab, a slow swipe, another couple of dabs, a steady searching gaze, one more dab….and…done. Dean placed his brush in the much over used pot of water on the windowsill and stepped away. He stood and just looked for a long while, then he sat on the end of his bed, sat and looked, for a long while. His revelry was broken when Ron Weasley opened the door with a bang and strode into the room.

"I'll just be two secs Harry, just gotta grab something" he called over his shoulder before noticing Dean.

"You're finished?" Ron enquired.

"Yeah" replied Dean "yeah I am." Ron walked over to take a look.

"Blimey" he exclaimed "its brilliant. Never seen Luna look like that before."

"Neither had I Ron, now…well…now its just the way I see her, like my eyes have been opened to something that was there all the time, that I'd been stupid not to notice it before." Dean said still not tearing his eyes away from his work "I guess that sounds kinda stupid."

"Not at all mate" Ron replied placing a hand on Dean's shoulder "that's what how it happened for me with Mione. For years I'd never thought of her as more than a friend then suddenly everything changed but it felt right, you know, like it had always been that way and I just hadn't noticed."

"Nice to know it's not just me then" Dean said with a chuckle "thought maybe I was going mad."

"Well you probably are it is Loonie Lovegood" said Ron and then at the angry look on Dean's face added "joking, joking, I'm joking. She's a great girl, you're lucky to have her."

"Ha thanks" Dean said his face returning to a smile.

"You gunna tell her?" Ron asked.

"Tell her what?"

"You know what you just told me"

"Dunno, hadn't really thought past finishing the painting to be honest" Dean said scratching the back of his neck. "You gunna tell Hermione?"

"Dunno" Ron replied "don't know if it needs to be said really. Knowing Hermione she worked it out years ago and has just been waiting for me to catch up."

"Mate we've all been waiting for you to catch up" Dean said with a laugh.

"Really?" Ron replied, surprised.

"Yeah we even had a bet going of how long it would take you."

"Bloody hell, really?"

"Yeah it was myself, Seamus, Neville, Harry, Ginny, Pavarti and Fred and George" Dean said counting them off on his fingers "Only Seamus, Fred and Ginny are still in, the rest of us thought you'd be an official thing by the middle of sixth year."

"Blimey" Ron said, he laughed quietly to himself "fun times in the common room eh, seems like another life right now."

"Yeah, yeah it does." Dean replied lost in his thoughts.

"You know mate," Ron said as he stood up and headed for the door "Luna's really perceptive. I don't think you need to worry too much about what to say to her. Just show her that painting, she'll understand."

Dean found her in the garden, she was sitting on the stone wall looking out at the sea her bare feat wiggling in the grass, enjoying the evening dew. The sun had just fallen below the horizon and the stars were coming out, the garden itself was lit by the light coming from the cottage kitchen window where Dean could see Fleur preparing dinner. He had the painting tucked under his arm.

"Hello stranger" Luna said with a smile "finally saw the need for fresh air?"

"Yeah I guess" Dean said with an embarrassed smile "sorry I haven't really been around these last few days."

"That's okay, I'm used to it by now"

"I wasn't trying to avoid you Luna" Dean said quickly.

"Its okay Dean, really, I'm used to people finding me annoying, or strange. I'm just grateful that you made the effort to be nice to me as long as you did." Luna turned away from Dean to face the sea. She didn't want him to see the tear running down her cheek.

"Luna that's not it at all" Dean said reaching out for her hand and pulling her around to face him. He reached out with his other hand and wiped away the tear. "I haven't been around because I've…well I've been working on this." He indicted the roll of paper still tucked under his arm.

"What…what is it?" Luna asked.

"It's for you" Dean said sliding it out and starting to unfurl it "its…well…its of you." He held up the painting in the light from the kitchen window. Luna looked at the painting for a long time, took a couple of steps towards it and then reached out to touch the little painted version of herself, golden and shining. She stayed like that for a long time and then a huge, irrepressible smile broke across her face and she looked up into Dean, who was anxiously waiting for her reaction.

"I see you found your focal point…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Jump

It was a cloudless night at Shell Cottage and the moon seemed massive to Dean Thomas. It was a full moon he thought, or at least close to it and it bathed the field in which he and Luna lay in a brilliant white twilight. They lay in the long grass looking up into the night sky. It was brilliant at the cottage because they were so far from any big cities and they could see the whole host of heaven, as Dean's Gran had always put it when they used to go on camping holidays. Dean loved stars, looking at them like this anyway, he'd never taken to astronomy. To him that had always taken away the majesty and beauty of stars. He loved the stars because they were so far away, so numerous, so bright and mysterious that they made the whole world seem minute. When looking at those thousands of white-hot pinpricks piercing the night how could you worry about everything else, how could it all matter? Suddenly Voldemort didn't seem so scary because the stars had been staring down for untold lifetimes before Voldemort was even born and would remain forever after. That year when he'd been on the run every time he'd felt overwhelmed he'd just lie back and look at the stars and suddenly he wasn't on the run he was flying a broom with Seamus, or watching West Ham, or having dinner with his family.

"So which constellations can you see?" Luna asked him.

"Err I dunno…never used to pay much attention in Astronomy class." Dean replied trying to remember where to look for Orion.

"No I don't mean those boring ones we learn at school I mean the fun ones." Luna said as if this should have been obvious.

"There are fun constellations?" Dean said turning his head to meet her gaze, her silvery grey eyes like twin moons.

"Of course" she replied with a grin and reached across him to point at a group of stars hanging just about the cottage "right there's the waltzing Screwts."

"The waltzing Screwts?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Yeah look their pincers star there, then they carry on down there," she replied unfazed drawing out the constellation in the air with her wand. Dean screwed up his eyes and searched intently for what she was seeing. And to his amazement it did look roughly like two blast ended screwts enjoying a waltz.

"Haha that's amazing" he said with a laugh "show me some more."

"Ok well right above us is the Cornish Pixie riding an anteater," she said pointing straight up "and over there is the Goblin on the toilet." They spent a good half hour looking for Luna's amazingly ridiculous constellations and laughing together. After looking for the drunk Hippogriff for a good five minutes, Dean gave in.

"Ok this one I just can't see," he told her with a sigh.

"That's cos I made it up" Luna replied with a laugh "I wanted to see how long I could keep you looking."

"No way" Dean said with mock anger "that's so devious."

"The others are all true though," said Luna with a giggle.

"I know I saw them, they're amazing. Have you ever shown them to Professor Sinistra?" Dean rolled onto his side to look at her.

"Yeah" Luna replied turning her face to meet his gaze "she didn't seem nearly as impressed as you. She didn't seem to think they were there at all, said I was imagining things."

"Maybe only certain people can see them," Dean suggested.  
>"Yeah" Luna replied with a smile "that must be it."<p>

"How did you find them anyway?"

"My mother showed them to me" Luna replied her smile fading "I was nine, Daddy was away on a trip and mum thought it would be fun to camp out. It was a warm night and we just lay there for hours holding hands and she pointed them all out to me. It was only a couple of weeks before she died."

"I'm sorry Dean said"

"Thanks. You don't need to be though, I had nine and a half amazing year with my mum and a lot of great memories with which to keep her alive in my mind. Harry never got that with his parents, Neville only has painful ones with his…you never had that with your dad." She said taking Dean's hand.

"I guess, but in a way that makes it easier. I'm sad that I never knew my Dad but I don't miss him. How could I? How can you miss someone you've never known? As long as I can remember Brian has been my father and a pretty good one at that. He never treated me different cos I wasn't his" he replied looking down at the grass and feeling uncomfortable.

"Do you have any memories of him? Your real dad" Luna asked in a quiet voice.

"Just one" Dean replied "and almost more a feeling than a memory. I just remember these really big strong hands holding me. And a deep voice laughing. Whenever it comes to me I just feel so….secure. That probably sounds really stupid". He gave an embarrassed little laugh and lying back on back, looking up at the stars once more. Luna didn't reply but leant over and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled back and laughed at the stunned smile on Dean's face.

"I…err…wow…I mean….wow.." was all Dean could say for a moment "what was that for?"

"I know your not good at being open about your feelings Dean. I mean you fell for me and what did you do? Instead of telling me you hid away in your room for two days painting a picture," Luna said, Dean's cheeks burned red with embarrassment "so I know how hard it was for you to be open, like you just were. And then well, it just seemed like the right moment."

"Oh…awesome" Dean said breaking out into an embarrassed grin.

"Your very cute when your embarrassed" Luna said with a laugh.

"Well I'll have to make sure I humiliate myself more often then," said Dean sitting up and grinning.

"I guess so"

"Wanna go for a walk? It's starting to get itchy in this grass."

"Sure"

The two got to their feet, brushed themselves down and then walked along the cliff top for a bit in silence. Luna stopped at a part of the cliff that jutted right out over the water and looked down.

"Dean come look at this," she said.

"What is it?"

"Look at the reflection of the moon" she said pointing down over the cliff edge. Dean looked and there in the still black waters and there he could see a huge reflection of the moon, intricate in detail and with barely a ripple, surrounded by stars. As he looked out over the waters it was hard to tell where the sea ended and the sky began.

"Wow" he said, "wouldn't mind painting that."

"Beautiful isn't it" Luna murmured. "Let's jump into it!"

"What?"

"Don't you want to? The more I look at it the more I just wanna dive right into the middle of it."

"But Luna it's the middle of the night" Dean protested.  
>"A warm night"<br>"We don't know it there are rocks down there"

"It's too far from the edge of the cliff for that"  
>"Its like twenty feet"<br>"That's not that far, you've fallen farther off a broom. Dean we'll be fine."

"I'm still not sure," Dean said looking uneasy.

"Dean it'll be amazing, like falling into the sky" Luna said turning to face him "it'll be fine. Look, hold my hand, look into my eyes and then take a deep breath." He did so and they held each others gaze for a long time. "Now tell me if we're gunna be fine." Dean smiled squeezed Luna's hand and then turned to run at the cliff edge.

"Last one in is a Slytherin!" he yelled preparing to dive.

"No fair I wasn't ready!" Luna yelled with a laugh as she ran at the edge.

They both dived off. Down, down into the perfect with circle beneath them. And up it rushed and suddenly they were into the cold dark water. Breaking the surface Dean gasped for air and then looked around. Luna was just to his left treading water and looking up at the stars.

"You took much longer to come up" she said with a smile "but then you are much heavier than me."

"Yeah I guess" Dean laughed. "That was amazing."

"Told you it would be"

"It is quite cold now," Dean said shivering.

"Haha yeah I guess it is" Luna laughed in reply "Lets go in and get dry, Fleur said she was gunna make Hot Chocolate tonight." Before she could start swimming Dean pulled her close, tilted her head and kissed her, very softly on the lips.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"Just returning the favour," he replied with a smile.

They turned and swam through the starlit waters towards the brightly lit cottage on the shore.


End file.
